Tools of Practice: Heritage or Baggage?

Abstract

Occupational therapists have used many media and methods over the years to achieve the therapeutic potential of occupational therapy. Yet the reasons for selecting a specific medium or method frequently have been lost or changed without consideration of the result to the therapeutic situation. When neither therapist nor patient understands fully the rationale for a medium or method, the therapeutic potential of that medium or method may be compromised. The author suggests there are eight factors that influence the selection and discarding of media and methods in the practice of occupational therapy. The effects of the eight factors can be summarized in 14 assumptions. Three examples--arts and crafts, sanding blocks, and work-related programs--are used to illustrate the factors and assumptions. It is suggested that improved analysis of occupations based on values and interests could reduce the separation of meaning and purpose in the selection and discarding of media and methods used in occupational therapy practice.

Ergotherapy in Rheumatology

“…Впервые пациенты могли прода-вать в магазинах созданные своими руками изделия, зарабатывая тем самым себе на жизнь [6]. В начале XX в. в США трудотера-пия сформировалась как метод лечения, что ознаменовалось открытием в 1908 г. в Чикаго первой школы по подготовке специалистов в данной области [7]. После Первой мировой ФГБУ «Научно-исследовательский институт ревматологии им.…”

Expressive Art to Facilitate the Development of the Occupational Profile: A Scoping Review

“…Since the inception of the profession, art has been instrumental in occupational therapy evaluation and intervention (Bathje, 2012;Reed, 1986). Various forms of art were first used in occupational therapy for clients with mental illnesses or physical disabilities, where the inherent therapeutic value of engagement in creative activities as an occupation was recognized and appreciated (Bing, 1981;Meyer, 1922).…”

“…Intervention focused on the process of creating art for the curative experiential component and diversional aspects, as well as the potential for generating vocational opportunities by crafting a useful or desired product (Fisher, 1998;Levine, 1987;Reed, 1986;Trombly, 1995;Yerxa, 1967). During the 1930s and 1940s, around the time of the Great Depression, intraprofessional shifts occurred that divided practitioners and steered many away from the use of arts and crafts (Bathje, 2012;Levine, 1987).…”

“…Occupational therapists began to embrace the medical model of practice, which emphasized a reductionistic approach to improve individual clients' function (Bing, 1981;Levine 1987). At that time, arts and crafts lacked scientific research regarding the perceived benefits of increased selfexpression, development of skills, occupational participation, and organization of daily routines (Fidler & Fidler, 1978;Peloquin, 1996;Reed, 1986). This ultimately diminished the foundational value of arts and crafts and established the profession's emphasis on and value of the scientific method.…”

Behavior Therapy in the Era of Diagnostic Categories.

“…Therapists learn to select interventions that will address the client's goals, but intervention choices are also affected by larger issues, including cultural, social, historical, and theoretical factors (Reed, 1986). Some of the primary reasons therapists select the interventions they do are based on the professional training they receive in school or conferences or on the resources available at their worksite (KornerBitensky, Menon-Nair, Thomas, Boutin, & Arafah, 2007).…”